One piece marker body with hermetically sealed removable cap

ABSTRACT

Hermetically sealed plastic marker body includes a nib-holding portion with a removable closure cap projecting therefrom and separated therefrom by a severable reduced wall thickness segment. In preferred embodiments, the removable closure includes mating recesses or other shapes to fit over the nib-holding body portion, thus acting as a removable cap, and over another portion of the body acting as a storage holder for the cap when not used to cover the nib-holding portion.

United States Patent Chesseman Dec. 25, 1973 ONE PIECE MARKER BODY WITHHERMETICALLY SEALED REMOVABLE CAP Inventor: James II. Chesseman, LaurelSprings, NJ.

Assignee: Graphic Controls Corporation,

Buffalo, NY.

Filed: Oct. 10, 1972 Appl. No.: 296,258.

US. Cl. 401/202 Int. Cl B43k 9/00 Field of Search"; 401/198, 199, 202,

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Ka'plan et al 401/199 FOREIGNPATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,485,772 5/1967 France 401/199 PrimaryExaminer-Lawrence Charles Att0rneyl-lenry N. Paul, Jr. et al.

[5 7 ABSTRACT Hermetically sealed plastic marker body includes anib-holding portion with a removable closure cap projecting therefromand separated therefrom by a severable reduced wall thickness segment.In preferred embodiments, the removable closure includes mating recessesor other shapes to fit over the nib-holding body portion, thus acting asa removable cap, and over another portion of the body acting as astorage holder for the cap when not used to cover the nib-holdingportion.

3 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures ONE PIECE MARKER BODY WITII HERMETICALLYSEALED REMOVABLE CAP This invention pertains to plastic marker bodiessuch as are used in instrument and Ordinary writing pens having aninterior space with an ink supply means, and a fibrous ink delivery andwriting means, usually referred to as a nib. More particularly, thisinvention relates to such markers and marker bodies therefor includinghermetically sealed closure caps for the nibholding portion of suchbodies.

Plastic marker bodies having fibrous or other types of capillary inkstorage means in contact with a capillary ink delivery means, such'as afibrous nib, which is held by a portion of the body and projectstherefrom to be brought into contact with a paper or other record form,have traditionally included some physical closure means to cover theexposed nib after manufacture and prior to use, and also between uses,in the case of intermittently usable markers. Invariably, to applicantsknowledge, this closure means has comprised a remov able friction fitcap covering the part of the marker body provided to hold the nib. Suchcaps have contributed to the expense of the marker body since theyconstituted separately formed pieces and required a separate assemblyoperation to assemble the cap onto the marker body during manufacture ofthe marker In addition, because such caps are typically friction fit,they do not always provide an hermetic seal and therefore, in somecases, permit a certain amount of atmospheric contamination or ink loss.

It is an object of this invention to obviate these difficulties andprovide an economically manufacturable closure cap which requires noseparate assembly operation during manufacture of the marker.

More particularly, it is an object of this invention to provide such acap which hermetically seals the marker body and the assembled nib andink storage means after manufacture.

Still further, it is another object of this invention to provide such acap which also may be reused as a friction fit cap similar to those capstaughtin the prior art.

Having these objects in mind, applicants invention consists of a onepiece integrally formed closure cap made as part of the marker bodyduring the manufacture thereof and separated from the body of the markerby a severable, reduced wall thickness segment.

In apreferred embodiment of this invention, the closure includes arecessadapted to act as a removable cap for the nib-holding part of themarker body after it has been initially removed by severance of thereduced wall thickness segment connecting the cap to the main markerbody.

In a further preferred embodiment, the removable closure also includes ameans for mating with and being held by another part of the marker bodyfor storage during use of the marker.

This invention may be better understood by reference to the detaileddescription which follows, taken in conjunction with the appended claimsand the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view, partially in section, of a preferred embodiment:of. a marker body in accordance with the present invention; and

FIG. 2 is an end view of the marker body shown in FIG. I.

Referring more specifically to FIG. 1, there is shown a marker body 10,generally composedof a plastic material, having a portion 12 adapted tohold an ink delivery means or fibrous nib 14 (shown in phantom).Attached to body portion 12 and integrally formed therewith is aseverable reduced wall thickness segment 15 and closure cap 16. Thespace 18 within marker body 10 comprises an interior storage chamber forholding an ink supply, such as an ink saturated fibrous body (notillustrated).

In a preferred form of this invention, as illustrated in FIG. 1, closurecap 16 also includes a recess 20 corresponding generally incross-sectional shape and size to nib-holding body portion 12. Inanother form of preferred embodiment of the present invention, markerbody 10 also includes a second portion 22, consisting of a projection atthe rear end of marker body 10 corresponding in cross-sectionaldimensions to nib-holding marker body portion 12.

As will be immediately apparent to those familiar with this art, markerbody 10, including its various appendages, comprises an economicallymanufacturable marker body with an integral hermetically sealednibcovering cap. Such an hermetically sealed cap obviates the need forthe manufacture of a separate cap, as has been common in the prior art,and also obviates the need for a separate manufacturing operation inwhich the cap is assembled with the body. In addition, marker body 10,apart from the rear end thereof which includes projecting body portion22 and which is necessarily formed as a separate piece, comprises asingle manufacturable component inherently reducing the cost of themarker and simplifying its manufacture. The rear end of marker body 10,from which body portion 22 projects, is, of course, inserted in markerbody 10 after nib l4 and the ink reservoir have been assembled withmarker body 10.

Following manufacture of a marker using the marker body of thisinvention, the marker may be retained in storage for a long period oftime without appreciable loss of ink due to the hermetic seal of closurecap 16. When the marker is ready for use, closure cap 16 is removed bysimple physical impact or twisting of closure cap 16, severing segment15, thus exposing nib I4 and readying the marker for use. If the markeris not clesigned for intermittent use, closure cap 16 may then bediscarded. If the marker is, however, used for intermittent applicationswherein it is desirable to cover nib M between uses, closure cap 16 maybe then used as a reusable closure cap, in accordance with the design ofthe preferred embodiment of this invention, simply by mating the recess20 of the closure cap 16 with the nibholding body portion 12 of markerbody 10.

In accordance with a further preferred embodiment of this invention,closure cap 16 may be stored, when the marker is in use, by the frictionfit mating of closure cap 16 with another part of marker body 10, suchas projection 22 which mates with and is friction fit with the recess 20of closure cap 16. Obviously, other shapes of recesses and matingmembers may be used for this storage purpose.

Having thus described the invention with respect to particularembodiments thereof, it will be readily ap parent to those skilled inthe art that the invention is applicable to a variety of other forms ofmarker and marker bodies and the appended claims are intended to coverall such variation and modification of the disclosed invention whichwould be obvious to those skilled in the art.

stantially less wall thickness than the walls of said nibholding bodyportion and integral closure adjacent said segment, said closure adaptedto be separated from said body portion by severing said body portion atsaid reduced wall thickness segment, wherein said closure includes arecess corresponding in cross-sectional shape and size to the outershape and size of said nibholding body portion, said recess beingadapted, after severing of said reduced wall thickness segment, to fitover said body portion permitting use of said closure as a removable capfor said body portion.

2. The improved plastic marker body of claim 1, wherein said closureincludes means for mating with and being held by a second portion ofsaid marker body.

3. The improved plastic marker body of claim 2, wherein said closuremating means comprises a recess friction fittable over a second portionof said marker body.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent 3,781,122Dated December 25, l973 James H. Cheeseman It is certified that errorappears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent arehereby corrected as shown below: 35 U. S .C 254 Cover gage change"Chesseman" to -Cheeseman- Cover page change "James H. Chesseman" to--James H. Cheeseman-.

Q lmm l line 27, insert a period after the word "marker".

Signed and sealed this 30th day of April 197b,.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD ILFLETCHEKJR. 1 G. MARSHALL DANE; Attesting Officer Commissionerof Patents FORM P0 1050 (O-69)

1. In a plastic marker body having an interior space for holding an ink supply and a body portion for holding a marker nib which extends into said interior space, the improvement consisting of a closure on said nib-holding body portion, said closure consisting of an integral extension of said body portion and separated therefrom by a wall segment of said body haviNg substantially less wall thickness than the walls of said nib-holding body portion and integral closure adjacent said segment, said closure adapted to be separated from said body portion by severing said body portion at said reduced wall thickness segment, wherein said closure includes a recess corresponding in cross-sectional shape and size to the outer shape and size of said nib-holding body portion, said recess being adapted, after severing of said reduced wall thickness segment, to fit over said body portion permitting use of said closure as a removable cap for said body portion.
 2. The improved plastic marker body of claim 1, wherein said closure includes means for mating with and being held by a second portion of said marker body.
 3. The improved plastic marker body of claim 2, wherein said closure mating means comprises a recess friction fittable over a second portion of said marker body. 